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Bookkeeping Machines

Burroughs

Burroughs bookkeeping machines developed from a combined calculating machine and typewriter developed by William Hopkins of St. Louis and sold by the Moon-Hopkins Billing Machine Company from about 1906. In 1921 Burroughs purchased patent rights to the machine and soon moved production to Detroit. Burroughs would sell accounting into the 1960s. Many examples of these machines in the Smithsonian collections come from that company’s Patent Department.

This version of the Burroughs Class 7 bookkeeping machine was designed specifically for calculating taxes and payrolls. It has a gray metal case. At the front are two sets of digit keys, one gray and one white, as well as several function keys on the left. These keys are in two rows. To the left is a key mounted so that the stem moves horizontally.

Behind and above the digit keys is a space bar and four rows of a QWERTY typewriter keyboard. The “uppercase” symbols are not conventional. Behind the typewriter keyboard is a lever that can be set for any of seven registers. At the center behind the typing keys is a lever that can be set at “INACTIVE” or at any number from 9 to 15. Behind this is a wide carriage and a complex mechanism. The motor is under the machine.

The machine has no stand.

Marks on the front and the back read: Burroughs. A red tag attached to the machine reads: PATENT DEPT. (/) #203. A metal tag at the front of the machine has the serial number: A3857. This suggests a 1934 date. A mark on the gray plastic cover reads: Burroughs B. A mark on a white paper tag attached to the machine reads: For information (/) regarding this machine (/) see (/) H. Brown Room 587.

A card in the accession file indicates that this is a Style 72 07 22 machine.

Beyond adding machines, the Burroughs Adding Machine Company sold bookkeeping machines, which carried out a wider range of accounting functions. This example was preserved in the company’s Patent Division.

This machine has a metal case painted black and 13 columns of round plastic keys. On the right are nine columns of black and white color-coded digit keys. Adjacent to these is a column of three keys marked “48”, “47", and “46” along with 6 keys with 2-letter codes (“SC”, “RT”, “EC”, “CC", “DM”, and “CM”). Left of this column of black keys are three columns of keys. Red keys in this column are for days of the month, black ones for months of the year. The operating bar is on the right and various other keys are on the far left. Across the top is a row of 17 red column release keys. At the back is a wide carriage and a paper feed. A black rubber cord is at the back of the machine and a motor is underneath.

A red paper tag attached to the object reads: PATENT DEPT. (/) # 113. The machine is marked on the front: Burroughs.

According to documentation at the Charles Babbage Institute, Classes 20 through 30 of Burroughs machines were introduced in 1928. The type 20 accounting and posting machine came in several styles. Style 25 1303 had five registers (as in 25), and 13 columns of digit keys (9 of them devoted to digits). According to documentation, it featured a skip tabulate motor bar, platen spacing from carriage return mechanism, automatic positive cross footer totals, a register non-add key, a motor bar release key for overdraft operation, a date repeat key, a carriage-controlled cipher split, a selective operation control lever, and an eight position printing control.

The U.S. government price for a machine with three registers and 13 columns in 1941–1942 was $1,557.00.

Although its focus was on adding machines, the Burroughs Adding Machine Company also sold bookkeeping machines, which carried out a wider range of accounting functions. This example was preserved in the company’s Patent Division.

The full-keyboard, printing electric machine has a grayish tan metal case with streamlining on the front. It has 14 columns of gray, white, and black plastic keys. The 11 columns of keys on the right are square color-coded digit keys, with nine keys in each column. The three columns to the left have 12 rectangular keys each. The leftmost has abbreviations for months of the year. Right of it is a column of keys for days of the month. Right of this is a column with nine keys showing 2-letter abbreviations for types of transactions, as well as year keys for years 47 (1947) through 49 (1949). The abbreviations are the same as those on 1982.0794.33. Several function bars, keys, and levers are right of the number keys. A printing mechanism and wide carriage are at the back of the machine. No motor is visible.

This full-keyboard, printing electric bookkeeping machine has a grayish tan metal case with streamlining. It has 11 columns of square color-coded gray and off-white plastic digit keys, with nine keys in each column. Three columns of smaller rectangular keys indicate dates and types of transactions. The nine possible transaction types are denoted by the 2-digit letter combinations “CD”, “DS”, “RT”, “EX”, “FT”, “CS”, “CM”, “JE”, and “AL”. The year keys are for 50 (1950), 51 (1951), and 52 (1952). To the right of the keyboard are function bars and levers.The printing mechanism and wide carriage are at the back. A roll of paper stored with the machine has five columns of numbers and symbols printed on it. No stand is present.

A red tag attached to the object reads: PATENT DEPT. (/) #181.The machine is marked on the front: Burroughs.This was model #181 in the collection of the Patent Division of Burroughs Corporation.

According to the accession file, this model had serial number A-971043. According to records of Burroughs, Series F machines of that serial number were made in 1949.

This full-keyboard, printing electric bookkeeping machine has a grayish tan metal case with streamlining and 14 columns of keys. It has 11 columns of square plastic color-coded digit keys, with nine keys in each column.

Left of the digit keys are three columns of keys used to denote the date and type of transaction. Each column has 12 rectangular plastic keys. The leftmost column lists abbreviations for months of the year. The next column is for days of the month (the keys are marked 10, 20, and 1 through 9). The next column has nine keys denoting types of transactions and three keys for years. Possible years are 50 (1950), 51 (1951), and 52 (1952).

Right of the number keys is an addition bar and two columns of function keys. The keys in each column are identical except that one has a key marked “E” and the other column has one marked “X”. The ribbon, printing mechanism, and wide carriage are behind the keyboard. The machine has no stand. A paper tray and rubber cover are stored separately in the crate.

A red tag attached to the object reads: PATENT DEPT. (/) #187. It was model #187 in the collection of the Patent Division of Burroughs Corporation. The machine is marked on the front: Burroughs Sensimatic. A white tag attached to the front reads: C-3402 (/) Case No. 3402 (/) MULTIPLE REGISTER “FOUR”.

According to the Burroughs Corporation papers, versions of the series F were introduced in 1949, 1951, 1952,and 1954.

This full-keyboard, printing electric bookkeeping machine has a gray metal frame with streamlines and 11 columns of square plastic gray and white color-coded number keys. Left of these are three columns of keys used to denote the date and type of transaction. Possible years are 50 (1950), 51 (1951), and 52 (1952). Right of the number keys is an addition bar and three columns of function keys. The function keys may relate to operations carried out when the carriage is in three different positions. The printing mechanism and wide carriage are behind the keyboard. No stand and no exterior motor are present. A cord extends from the back of the machine.

A red paper tag attached to the object reads: PATENT DEPT. (/) #186. It was model #186 in the collection of the Patent Division of Burroughs Corporation. The machine is marked on the front: Burroughs Sensimatic.

Versions of the Series F were introduced in 1949, 1951, 1952, and 1954.